The present invention relates to apparatus for facilitating the painting of interior walls of a building, and more particularly, to a collapsible paint tray carrier which can be moved along the bottom of a wall to protect the baseboard from paint drips or spatters which normally occur during the application process.
When painting interior walls of buildings, it is usually desirable to protect the baseboard and floor from paint that drips or spatters as it is applied with a brush or roller. The same is true where the paint is sprayed on a wall or where wallpaper paste, plaster, or other wall coatings are applied. If paint or other liquid falls onto portions of a baseboard or floor covering, either in drops or a fine mist, it must then be cleaned therefrom. Many baseboards are difficult to clean, for example where they are made of natural wood or rubber. Typically, some form of masking device such as tape is affixed to the baseboard to protect it. However, such masking devices are tedious to apply and remove.
It is also typical to spread tarps made of plastic or cloth over the areas of the floor adjacent the wall that is to be painted. However, the spreading and relocation of such tarps is also tedious. Furthermore, it is cumbersome to walk around on tarps. In addition, paint which spatters or drips onto such tarps invariably finds its way onto the bottom of a person's foot and is subsequently tracked onto unprotected areas of the floor. Frequently, portions of such tarps onto which paint has spattered or dripped become turned under and thus the paint ends up on the floor and must be removed with cleaning agents.
In painting interior walls of buildings, usually a paint receptacle such as a paint can or a roller tray must be positioned on the floor or on a step ladder adjacent to the wall that is to be painted. Thereafter, the receptacle must be physically moved along with the painter as the painting progresses. All too often the paint receptacle falls off the ladder or the painter tips over or steps in the receptacle when it is positioned on the floor.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,422,798 and 3,429,296 disclose elongated flat shields which may be leaned against a wall to be painted to shield the baseboard from dripping or spattering paint. U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,096 discloses a portable wax cart with an applicator rest. The cart can be readily moved over the floor by pressing the applicator against the applicator rest so that the container can be continuously moved to convenient positions for dispensing the liquid wax therefrom. U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,638 discloses a load carrying dolly having a pair of wheeled frame sections which are slidable, one over the other, to allow the length of the dolly to be adjusted.